Display apparatus and vehicle having the same

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus, a vehicle including the same, includes a sensor unit configured to acquire vehicle periphery information, and an interface unit configured to acquire vehicle state information. The display apparatus also includes a display unit configured to display a first indicator indicating a target steering direction, a third indicator indicating a current steering state, and a second indicator displayed at a position between the first indicator and the third indicator. The display apparatus also includes a processor configured to determine the target steering direction based on the vehicle state information and the vehicle periphery information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of an earlier filing date andright of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35 U.S.C. 365 to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0035876 filed on Mar. 25, 2016, the contents ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a display apparatus and a vehiclehaving the same.

BACKGROUND

A vehicle is an apparatus that transports a user in a desired direction.A representative example of a vehicle may be an automobile. A vehicle istypically powered by a power source and may be classified as an internalcombustion engine vehicle, an external combustion engine vehicle, a gasturbine vehicle, an electric vehicle, etc., according to a type of motorused.

An electric vehicle refers to a vehicle powered by an electric motorusing electric energy. Electric vehicles include a pure electricvehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electricvehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), etc.

Recently, intelligent vehicles have been actively developed to improvesafety or convenience of a driver of a vehicle or a pedestrian outsidethe vehicle. An intelligent vehicle is an advanced vehicle usinginformation technology (IT) and is also referred to as a smart vehicle.Some intelligent vehicles provide improved traffic efficiency byintroduction of an advanced vehicle system and via association with anintelligent traffic system (ITS).

In addition, research into sensors mounted in intelligent vehicles hasbeen actively conducted. For example, sensors such as a camera, aninfrared sensor, a radar, a global positioning system (GPS), a Lidar, agyroscope, etc. are typically used in an intelligent vehicle. Inparticular, a camera is often utilized to perform an important functionin the role of human eyes.

Accordingly, with development of various sensors and electronicapparatuses, a vehicle including a driver assistance function forassisting driving of a user and improving driving safety and convenienceis attracting considerable attention.

SUMMARY

Systems and techniques are disclosed that provide a display apparatusthat displays steering control information based on a vehicle peripherysituation, and a vehicle having the same.

In one aspect, a display apparatus may include a sensor unit configuredto acquire vehicle periphery information, and an interface unitconfigured to acquire vehicle state information. The display apparatusmay also include a display unit configured to display a first indicatorindicating a target steering direction, a third indicator indicating acurrent steering state, and a second indicator displayed at a positionbetween the first indicator and the third indicator. The displayapparatus may also include a processor configured to determine thetarget steering direction based on the vehicle state information and thevehicle periphery information.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured todetect, based on the vehicle periphery information, a movement route forthe vehicle including at least one turning operation; and determine thetarget steering direction according to the movement route.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured todetect a turning direction from the movement route; and determine, asthe target steering direction, a direction that is turned by more than apredetermined angle relative to the turning direction detected from themovement route.

In some implementations, the current steering state may be a state wherea vehicle wheel is steered with respect to a heading direction of avehicle.

In some implementations, the second indicator may indicate a recommendedsteering speed by displaying a gradual shading that changes over time ina direction from the third indicator towards the first indicator.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured tocontrol the display unit so as to change a display position of at leastone of the first indicator, the second indicator, or the third indicatorwhen a steering operation is detected.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured tochange a display position of the first indicator so as to indicate avehicle wheel direction which is changed according to the steeringoperation; and control the display unit to display the first indicatorat the changed display position.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured toshift, in a direction that is opposite the direction of steering, aposition at which the third indicator is displayed according to thesteering operation; and perform control such that the display unitdisplays the third indicator at the position which is shifted oppositethe direction of steering. The third indicator may be displayed at theposition which is shifted opposite the direction of steering such thatthe third indicator is maintained as being displayed at a fixed positionwith respect to a center position of steering.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured toshift, in the direction that is opposite the direction of steering, aposition at which the second indicator is displayed according to thesteering operation; and perform control such that the display unitdisplays the second indicator at the position which is shifted oppositethe direction of steering. The second indicator may be displayed at theposition which is shifted opposite the direction of steering such thatthe second indicator is maintained as being displayed at a fixedposition with respect to the center position of steering.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured tocontrol the display unit such that the second indicator designates arotation of the steering by at least one full rotation based ondetecting that rotation of the steering by at least one full rotationachieves a change in position of the first indicator to a position ofthe third indicator.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured tocontrol the display unit such that the second indicator indicates anover-steering operation based on the first indicator passing through aposition of the third indicator.

In some implementations, the display apparatus may further include ahaptic output unit configured to output a haptic signal through asteering input unit. The processor may further be configured to performcontrol such that the haptic output unit outputs a haptic that resistsagainst the over-steering operation based on the over-steering operationbeing detected.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured toperform control such that haptic output unit stops the output of thehaptic when a steering operation exceeding a predetermined force isdetected after outputting the haptic that resists against theover-steering operation.

In some implementations, the display apparatus may further include anaudio output unit that is disposed at a left side or a right side of auser, and that is configured to output an alarm. The processor mayfurther be configured to control the audio output unit to output adirectional alarm indicating the over-steering operation based on theover-steering operation being detected.

In some implementations, the display unit may include a first displayunit configured to display an indicator on a windshield of a vehicle; asecond display unit configured to display the indicator, the seconddisplay unit being a display of a navigation device of the vehicle or acluster disposed on a front of the vehicle; and a third display unitdisposed on a steering input unit and configured to display theindicator.

In some implementations, the first display unit may further beconfigured to display a virtual steering image on the windshield; anddisplay the first indicator, the second indicator, and the thirdindicator on the virtual steering image.

In some implementations, the first display unit may be configured tofurther display at least one of a first graphic image representing arecommended movement route or a second graphic image representing amovement route based on the current steering state.

In some implementations, the third display unit may further beconfigured to display the first indicator, the second indicator, and thethird indicator directly on the steering input unit; and shift a displayposition of each of the first indicator, the second indicator, and thethird indicator based on the steering input unit being rotated.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured to,based on detecting an obstacle ahead from the vehicle peripheryinformation, calculate an avoidance movement route including a turningoperation to avoid the obstacle; and control the display unit to displaythe first indicator, the second indicator, and the third indicatoraccording to the calculated avoidance movement route.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured to,based on detecting a curve in a road, calculate the first indicator, thesecond indicator, and the third indicator based on a direction of thedetected curve in the road; and control the display unit to display thecalculated first indicator, the second indicator, and the thirdindicator.

In some implementations, the processor may further be configured to,based on an autonomous steering operation being performed, maintain asteering input unit at a fixed rotation angle; and control the displayunit to display at least one of the first indicator, the secondindicator, or the third indicator on the steering input unit withoutrotation of the steering input unit.

In another aspect, a vehicle may include the display apparatus describedabove.

All or part of the features described throughout this disclosure may beimplemented as a computer program product including instructions thatare stored on one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media,and that are executable on one or more processing devices. All or partof the features described throughout this disclosure may be implementedas an apparatus, method, or electronic system that can include one ormore processing devices and memory to store executable instructions toimplement the stated functions.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example appearance of a vehiclehaving a display apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a displayapparatus;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example plan view of a vehiclehaving a display apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a camera;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating an example of generating imageinformation from an image of a camera;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the inside of a vehiclehaving a display apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a third display unitaccording to an implementation;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a third display unitaccording to another implementation;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of providing steeringcontrol information in a display apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a turning movement routedesigned based on vehicle periphery information;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle moving alongthe turning movement route of FIG. 11;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating examples of steering controlinformation;

FIGS. 14A to 14F are diagrams illustrating examples in which a thirddisplay unit displays steering control information at differentpositions of a vehicle moving along the turning movement route of FIG.12, according to an implementation;

FIGS. 15A to 15F are diagrams illustrating examples in which a thirddisplay unit displays steering control information at differentpositions of a vehicle moving along the turning movement route of FIG.12, according to another implementation;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of providing steeringcontrol information to avoid an obstacle after the obstacle is detected;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of an obstacle avoidancemovement route and steering control information being displayed when thevehicle moves along the obstacle avoidance movement route;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first display unitdisplaying steering control information;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of providing steeringcontrol information in the case of a vehicle passing through a narrowroad;

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation where avehicle enters a narrow road;

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first display unitdisplaying steering control information in the situation of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of steering controlinformation being displayed in the situation of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of steering controlinformation being displayed upon over-steering;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of displaying steeringcontrol information during autonomous control of a steering;

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of steering controlinformation being displayed during autonomous control of a steering; and

FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internalconfiguration of a vehicle having the display apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some driving scenarios, a driver may face difficulty in make a turnfor changing a movement direction of a vehicle, for example in the caseof driving on a curved or narrow road, performing a lane change, orengaging in obstacle avoidance. In particular, a driver may facedifficulty in precisely controlling a steering of the vehicle whenmaking a turn, and when the steering is erroneously operated, anaccident may occur.

Some vehicle technologies provide a parking guide route or providesimple information about a steering operation during parking-relatedoperations of a vehicle. However, such technologies are limited toprovision of information at a stopped vehicle state or a low-speedvehicle state. Also such technologies are limited because steeringinformation is provided in connection with a current position only whena parking spot is determined or a positon at which the vehicle is to betaken out is determined.

According to implementations described herein, a display apparatusdisplays one or more indicators that inform a driver of how to performan appropriate steering operation based on the particular driving stateof the vehicle and its driving surroundings. For example, the displayapparatus may acquire vehicle periphery information and vehicle stateinformation, and determine a target steering direction based on theacquired information. The display apparatus may then display a firstindicator indicating the target steering direction, as well as a thirdindicator indicating a current steering state and a second indicatordisplayed at a position between the first indicator and the thirdindicator.

The displayed indicators may inform a driver of various aspects ofappropriate steering to safely and accurately maneuver the vehicle inthe current driving state. As such, the display apparatus may provideintuitively understandable steering control information to a driverbased on a vehicle periphery situation.

A vehicle as described in this specification may include a car and amotorcycle. Hereinafter, a car will be focused upon.

A vehicle as described in this specification may be, for example, aninternal combustion engine vehicle including an engine as a powersource, a hybrid vehicle including both an engine and an electric motoras a power source, or an electric vehicle including an electric motor asa power source.

In the following description, the left of a vehicle refers to the leftof the vehicle in the direction of travel, and the right of the vehiclerefers to the right of the vehicle in the direction of travel.

In the following description, a left hand drive (LHD) vehicle will befocused upon unless otherwise stated.

In the following description, the display apparatus is provided in avehicle to exchange information necessary for data communication withthe vehicle and to perform a driver assistance function. A set of someunits of the vehicle may be defined as a display apparatus.

When the display apparatus is separately provided, at least some units(see FIG. 2) of the display apparatus are not included in the displayapparatus but may be units of the vehicle or units of another apparatusmounted in the vehicle. Such external units transmit and receive datavia an interface of the display apparatus and thus may be understood asbeing included in the display apparatus.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a display apparatus isdescribed with reference to the units shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to the example of FIG. 1, a vehicle may include vehicle wheels13FL and 13RL rotated by a power source and a display apparatus forproviding steering control information to a user.

Specifically, the display apparatus provides steering controlinformation based on internal/external information of the vehicle so asto assist a driver in controlling a steering, thus enhancing convenienceof the driver and achieving safe driving. For example, when steeringcontrol is necessary, the display apparatus displays a recommendedsteering position and a recommended steering operation speed to aid inthe steering operation of the driver.

Referring to FIG. 2, such a display apparatus 100 may include an inputunit 110, a communication unit 120, an interface 130, a memory 140, asensor unit 155, a processor 170, a display unit 180, an audio outputunit 185 and a power supply 190. The units of the display apparatus 100shown in FIG. 2 are not essential to implementation of the displayapparatus 100 and thus the display apparatus 100 described in thepresent specification may have components greater or less in number thanthe number of the above-described components.

Each component will now be described in detail. The display apparatus100 may include the input unit 110 for receiving user input.

For example, a user may input a signal for setting a driver assistancefunction provided by the display apparatus 100 or an execution signalfor turning the display apparatus 100 on/off.

The input unit 110 may include at least one of a gesture input unit(e.g., an optical sensor, etc.) for sensing a user gesture, a touchinput unit (e.g., a touch sensor, a touch key, a push key (mechanicalkey), etc.) for sensing touch and a microphone for sensing voice inputand receive user input.

Next, the display apparatus 100 may include the communication unit 120for communicating with another vehicle 510, a terminal 600 and a server500.

The display apparatus 100 may receive communication informationincluding at least one of navigation information, driving information ofanother vehicle and traffic information via the communication unit 120.In contrast, the display apparatus 100 may transmit information on thisvehicle via the communication unit 120.

In detail, the communication unit 120 may receive at least one ofposition information, weather information and road traffic conditioninformation (e.g., transport protocol experts group (TPEG), etc.) fromthe mobile terminal 600 and/or the server 500.

The communication unit 120 may receive traffic information from theserver 500 having an intelligent traffic system (ITS). Here, the trafficinformation may include traffic signal information, lane information,vehicle surrounding information or position information.

In addition, the communication unit 120 may receive navigationinformation from the server 500 and/or the mobile terminal 600. Here,the navigation information may include at least one of map informationrelated to vehicle driving, lane information, vehicle positioninformation, set destination information and route information accordingto the destination.

For example, the communication unit 120 may receive the real-timeposition of the vehicle as the navigation information. In detail, thecommunication unit 120 may include a global positioning system (GPS)module and/or a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) module and acquire theposition of the vehicle.

In addition, the communication unit 120 may receive driving informationof the other vehicle 510 from the other vehicle 510 and transmitinformation on this vehicle, thereby sharing driving information betweenvehicles. Here, the shared driving information may include vehicletraveling direction information, position information, vehicle speedinformation, acceleration information, moving route information,forward/reverse information, adjacent vehicle information, and turnsignal information.

In addition, when a user rides in the vehicle, the mobile terminal 600of the user and the display apparatus 100 may pair with each otherautomatically or by executing a user application.

The communication unit 120 may exchange data with the other vehicle 510,the mobile terminal 600 or the server 500 in a wireless manner.

In detail, the communication module 120 can perform wirelesscommunication using a wireless data communication method. As thewireless data communication method, technical standards or communicationmethods for mobile communications (for example, Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA2000(Code Division Multiple Access 2000), EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized),Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), HSUPA(High Speed Uplink Packet Access), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A(Long Term Evolution-Advanced), and the like) may be used.

The communication unit module 120 is configured to facilitate wirelessInternet technology. Examples of such wireless Internet technologyinclude Wireless LAN (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct,Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Wireless Broadband (WiBro),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), High SpeedDownlink Packet Access (HSDPA), HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access),Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), and thelike.

In addition, the communication unit 120 is configured to facilitateshort-range communication. For example, short-range communication may besupported using at least one of Bluetooth™, Radio FrequencyIDentification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-Wideband(UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), Wireless-Fidelity(Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus), andthe like.

In addition, the display apparatus 100 may pair with the mobile terminallocated inside the vehicle using a short-range communication method andwirelessly exchange data with the other vehicle 510 or the server 500using a long-distance wireless communication module of the mobileterminal.

In detail, the display apparatus 100 may receive at least one of drivinginformation of another vehicle, navigation information and sensorinformation via the interface 130.

Specifically, the display device 100 may receive at least one of piecesof driving information of another vehicle, navigation information, andsensor information through the interface unit 130. The informationcollected through the interface unit 130 may be included in vehicleperiphery information and vehicle state information. Specifically, thevehicle state information includes vehicle steering information,position information, acceleration information, acceleration speedinformation, heading sensor information, yaw sensor information, vehiclewheel sensor information, and the like.

To this end, the interface 130 may perform data communication with atleast one of the controller 770 of the vehicle, anaudio-video-navigation (AVN) apparatus 400 and the sensing unit 760using a wired or wireless communication method.

In detail, the interface 130 may receive navigation information by datacommunication with the controller 770, the AVN apparatus 400 and/or aseparate navigation apparatus.

In addition, the interface 130 may receive sensor information from thecontroller 770 or the sensing unit 760.

Here, the sensor information may include at least one of vehicletraveling direction information, vehicle position information, vehiclespeed information, acceleration information, vehicle tilt information,forward/reverse information, fuel information, information on a distancefrom a preceding/rear vehicle, information on a distance between avehicle and a lane and turn signal information, etc.

The sensor information may be acquired from a heading sensor, a yawsensor, a gyro sensor, a position module, a vehicle forward/reversesensor, a vehicle wheel sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a vehicle tiltsensor, a battery sensor, a fuel sensor, a tire sensor, a steeringsensor based on rotation of the steering input unit (e.g., a steeringwheel), a vehicle interior temperature sensor, a vehicle interiorhumidity sensor, a door sensor, etc. The position module may include aGPS module for receiving GPS information.

The interface 130 may receive user input via the user input unit 110 ofthe vehicle. The interface 130 may receive user input from the inputunit of the vehicle or via the controller 770. That is, when the inputunit is provided in the vehicle, user input may be received via theinterface 130.

In addition, the interface 130 may receive traffic information acquiredfrom the server. The server 500 may be located at a traffic controlsurveillance center for controlling traffic. For example, when trafficinformation is received from the server 500 via the communication unit120 of the vehicle, the interface 130 may receive traffic informationfrom the controller 770.

Next, the memory 140 may store a variety of data for overall operationof the display apparatus 100, such as a program for processing orcontrol of the controller 170.

In addition, the memory 140 may store data and commands for operation ofthe display apparatus 100 and a plurality of application programs orapplications executed in the display apparatus 100. At least some ofsuch application programs may be downloaded from an external serverthrough wireless communication. At least one of such applicationprograms may be installed in the display apparatus 100 upon release, inorder to provide the basic function (e.g., the driver assistanceinformation guide function) of the display apparatus 100.

Such application programs may be stored in the memory 140 and may beexecuted to perform operation (or function) of the display apparatus 100by the processor 170.

The memory 140 may store data for checking an object included in animage. For example, the memory 140 may store data for checking apredetermined object using a predetermined algorithm when thepredetermined object is detected from an image of the vicinity of thevehicle acquired through the camera 160.

For example, the memory 140 may store data for checking the object usingthe predetermined algorithm when the predetermined algorithm such as alane, a traffic sign, a two-wheeled vehicle and a pedestrian is includedin an image acquired through the camera 160.

The memory 140 may be implemented in a hardware manner using at leastone selected from among a flash memory, a hard disk, a solid state drive(SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a micro multimedia card, a card typememory (e.g., an SD or XD memory, etc.), a random access memory (RAM), astatic random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), aprogrammable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic diskand an optical disc.

In addition, the display apparatus 100 may operate in association with anetwork storage for performing a storage function of the memory 140 overthe Internet.

Next, the display apparatus 100 may further include the sensor unit 155for sensing objects located in the vicinity of the vehicle. The displayapparatus 100 may include the sensor unit 155 for sensing peripheralobjects and may receive the sensor information obtained by the sensingunit 760 of the vehicle via the interface 130. The acquired sensorinformation may be included in the information on the vehiclesurrounding information.

The sensor unit 155 may include at least one of a distance sensor 150for sensing the position of an object located in the vicinity of thevehicle and a camera 160 for capturing the image of the vicinity of thevehicle.

First, the distance sensor 150 may accurately sense the position of theobject located in the vicinity of the vehicle, a distance between theobject and the vehicle, a movement direction of the object, etc. Thedistance sensor 150 may continuously measure the position of the sensedobject to accurately sense change in positional relationship with thevehicle.

The distance sensor 150 may sense the object located in at least one ofthe front, rear, left and right areas of the vehicle. The distancesensor 150 may be provided at various positions of the vehicle.

In detail, referring to FIG. 3, the distance sensor 150 may be providedat at least one of the front, rear, left and right sides and ceiling ofthe vehicle.

The distance sensor 150 may include at least one of various distancemeasurement sensors such as a Lidar sensor, a laser sensor, anultrasonic wave sensor and a stereo camera.

For example, the distance sensor 150 is a laser sensor and mayaccurately measure a positional relationship between the vehicle and theobject using a time-of-flight (TOF) and/or a phase-shift methodaccording to a laser signal modulation method.

Information on the object may be acquired by analyzing the imagecaptured by the camera 160 at the processor 170.

In detail, the display apparatus 100 may capture the image of thevicinity of the vehicle using the camera 160, analyze the image of thevicinity of the vehicle using the processor 170, detect the objectlocated in the vicinity of the vehicle, determine the attributes of theobject and generate sensor information.

The image information is at least one of the type of the object, trafficsignal information indicated by the object, the distance between theobject and the vehicle and the position of the object and may beincluded in the sensor information.

In detail, the processor 170 may detect the object from the capturedimage via image processing, track the object, measure the distance fromthe object, and check the object to analyze the object, therebygenerating image information.

The camera 160 may be provided at various positions.

In detail, the camera 160 may include an internal camera 160 f forcapturing an image of the front side of the vehicle within the vehicleand acquiring a front image.

Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of cameras 160 may be provided at leastone of the front, rear, right and left and ceiling of the vehicle.

In detail, the left camera 160 b may be provided inside a casesurrounding a left side mirror. Alternatively, the left camera 160 b maybe provided outside the case surrounding the left side mirror.Alternatively, the left camera 160 b may be provided in one of a leftfront door, a left rear door or an outer area of a left fender.

The right camera 160 c may be provided inside a case surrounding a rightside mirror. Alternatively, the right camera 160 c may be providedoutside the case surrounding the right side mirror. Alternatively, theright camera 160 c may be provided in one of a right front door, a rightrear door or an outer area of a right fender.

In addition, the rear camera 160 d may be provided in the vicinity of arear license plate or a trunk switch. The front camera 160 a may beprovided in the vicinity of an emblem or a radiator grill.

The processor 170 may synthesize images captured in all directions andprovide an around view image viewed from the top of the vehicle. Upongenerating the around view image, boundary portions between the imageregions occur. Such boundary portions may be subjected to image blendingfor natural display.

In addition, the ceiling camera 160 e may be provided on the ceiling ofthe vehicle to capture the image of the vehicle in all directions.

The camera 160 may directly include an image sensor and an imageprocessing module. The camera 160 may process a still image or a movingimage obtained by the image sensor (e.g., CMOS or CCD). In addition, theimage processing module processes the still image or the moving imageacquired through the image sensor, extracts necessary image information,and delivers the extracted image information to the processor 170.

In order to enable the processor 170 to more easily perform objectanalysis, in some implementations, the camera 160 may be a stereo camerafor capturing an image and, at the same time, measuring a distance froman object.

The sensor unit 155 may be a stereo camera including the distance sensor150 and the camera 160. That is, the stereo camera may acquire an imageand, at the same time, sense a positional relationship with the object.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the stereo camera and a methodof detecting image information by the processor 170 using the stereocamera will be described in greater detail.

First, referring to FIG. 4, the stereo camera 160 may include a firstcamera 160 a including a first lens 163 a and a second camera 160 bincluding a second lens 163 b.

The display apparatus 100 may further include first and second lightshield units 162 a and 162 b for shielding light incident upon the firstand second lenses 163 a and 163 b.

The display apparatus 100 may acquire stereo images of the vicinity ofthe vehicle from the first and second cameras 160 a and 160 b, detectdisparity based on the stereo images, detect an object from at least onestereo image, and continuously track movement of the object after objectdetection.

Referring to FIG. 5, as one example of the block diagram of the internalconfiguration of the processor 170, the processor 170 of the displayapparatus 100 may include an image preprocessor 410, a disparitycalculator 420, an object detector 434, an object tracking unit 440 andan application unit 450. Although an image is processed in order of theimage preprocessor 410, the disparity calculator 420, the objectdetector 434, the object tracking unit 440 and the application unit 450in FIG. 5 and the following description, the present disclosure is notlimited thereto.

The image preprocessor 410 may receive an image from the camera 160 andperform preprocessing.

In detail, the image preprocessor 410 may perform noise reduction,rectification, calibration, color enhancement, color space conversion(CSC), interpolation, camera gain control, etc. of the image. An imagehaving definition higher than that of the stereo image captured by thecamera 160 may be acquired.

The disparity calculator 420 may receive the images processed by theimage preprocessor 410, perform stereo matching of the received images,and acquire a disparity map according to stereo matching. That is,disparity information of the stereo image of the front side of thevehicle may be acquired.

At this time, stereo matching may be performed in units of pixels of thestereo images or predetermined block units. The disparity map may referto a map indicating the numerical value of binocular parallaxinformation of the stereo images, that is, the left and right images.

The segmentation unit 432 may perform segmentation and clustering withrespect to at least one image based on the disparity information fromthe disparity calculator 420.

In detail, the segmentation unit 432 may segment at least one stereoimage into a background and a foreground based on the disparityinformation.

For example, an area in which the disparity information is less than orequal to a predetermined value within the disparity map may becalculated as the background and excluded. Therefore, the foreground maybe segmented. As another example, an area in which the disparityinformation is greater than or equal to a predetermined value within thedisparity map may be calculated as the foreground and extracted.Therefore, the foreground may be segmented.

The background and the foreground may be segmented based on thedisparity information extracted based on the stereo images to reducesignal processing speed, the amount of processed signals, etc. uponobject detection.

Next, the object detector 434 may detect the object based on the imagesegment from the segmentation unit 432.

That is, the object detector 434 may detect the object from at least oneimage based on the disparity information.

In detail, the object detector 434 may detect the object from at leastone image.

For example, the object may be detected from the foreground segmented byimage segmentation.

Next, the object verification unit 436 may classify and verify thesegmented object.

To this end, the object verification unit 436 may use an identificationmethod using a neural network, a support vector machine (SVM) method, anidentification method by AdaBoost using Haar-like features or ahistograms of oriented gradients (HOG) method.

The object verification unit 436 may compare the objects stored in thememory 140 and the detected object and verify the object.

For example, the object verification unit 436 may verify a peripheralvehicle, a lane, a road surface, a traffic sign, a danger zone, atunnel, etc. located in the vicinity of the vehicle.

The object tracking unit 440 may track the verified object. For example,the objects in the sequentially acquired stereo images may be verified,motion or motion vectors of the verified objects may be calculated andmotion of the objects may be tracked based on the calculated motion ormotion vectors. A peripheral vehicle, a lane, a road surface, a trafficsign, a danger zone, a tunnel, etc. located in the vicinity of thevehicle may be tracked.

Next, the application unit 450 may calculate a degree of risk, etc.based on various objects located in the vicinity of the vehicle, forexample, another vehicle, a lane, a road surface, a traffic sign, etc.In addition, possibility of collision with a preceding vehicle, whethera vehicle slips, etc. may be calculated.

The application unit 450 may output a message indicating suchinformation to the user as driver assistance information based on thecalculated degree of risk, possibility of collision or slip.Alternatively, a control signal for vehicle attitude control or drivingcontrol may be generated as vehicle control information.

The image preprocessor 410, the disparity calculator 420, thesegmentation unit 432, the object detector 434, the object verificationunit 436, the object tracking unit 440 and the application unit 450 maybe included in the image processor (see FIG. 31) of the processor 170.

In some implementations, the processor 170 may include only some of theimage preprocessor 410, the disparity calculator 420, the segmentationunit 432, the object detector 434, the object verification unit 436, theobject tracking unit 440 and the application unit 450. If the camera 160includes a mono camera 160 or an around view camera 160, the disparitycalculator 420 may be excluded. In some implementations, thesegmentation unit 432 may be excluded.

Referring to FIG. 6, during a first frame period, the camera 160 mayacquire stereo images.

The disparity calculator 420 of the processor 170 receives stereo imagesFR1 a and FR1 b processed by the image preprocessor 410, performs stereomatching with respect to the stereo images FR1 a and FR1 b and acquiresa disparity map 520.

The disparity map 520 indicates the levels of binocular parallax betweenthe stereo images FR1 a and FR1 b. As a disparity level increases, adistance from a vehicle may decrease and, as the disparity leveldecreases, the distance from the vehicle may increase.

When such a disparity map is displayed, luminance may increase as thedisparity level increases and decrease as the disparity level decreases.

In the figure, disparity levels respectively corresponding to first tofourth lanes 528 a, 528 b, 528 c and 528 d and disparity levelsrespectively corresponding to a construction area 522, a first precedingvehicle 524 and a second preceding vehicle 526 are included in thedisparity map 520.

The segmentation unit 432, the object detector 434 and the objectverification unit 436 may perform segmentation, object detection andobject verification with respect to at least one of the stereo imagesFR1 a and FR1 b based on the disparity map 520.

In the figure, object detection and verification are performed withrespect to the second stereo image FR1 b using the disparity map 520.

That is, object detection and verification are performed with respect tothe first to fourth lanes 538 a, 538 b, 538 c and 538 d, theconstruction area 532, the first preceding vehicle 534 and the secondpreceding vehicle 536 of the image 530.

With image processing, the display apparatus 100 may acquire varioussurrounding information of the vehicle, such as peripheral objects orthe positions of the peripheral objects, using the sensor unit 155, assensor information.

Next, the display apparatus 100 may further include a display unit 180for displaying a graphic image of the driver assistance function.

Specifically, the display unit 180 may display an indicator indicatingsteering control information.

The steering control information may include information such as atarget steering direction to follow a predicted movement route, acurrent steering state, a steering operation direction, a recommendedsteering operation speed, and the like. The predicted movement route maybe calculated based on the vehicle periphery information. The currentsteering state represents a direction in which a vehicle wheel issteered according to the turning of a steering input unit (e.g., asteering wheel). For example, the current steering state refers to adirection in which a vehicle wheel is turned with respect to a vehicleheading direction.

When the current steering state represents a state where a steeringinput unit is turned (for example, steering turning direction), thetarget steering direction may represent a target steering turningdirection. In this case, indicating the target steering turningdirection may be difficult when the target steering turning directioninvolves rotating the steering input unit once or more full rotations.This may be especially difficult when the rate at which the steeringinput unit is turned is not equal to the rate at which the vehicle wheelis steered.

Therefore, in the following description, an indicator is displayed withrespect to a vehicle wheel direction. For example, an indicator may bedisplayed on a steering input unit (e.g., on the handle of a steeringwheel) to indicate a target turning angle of the vehicle wheel toaccount for full rotations of the steering wheel.

The indicator indicating information about steering control may includea first indicator indicating a target steering direction, a thirdindicator indicating a current steering state, and a second indicatordisplayed between the first indicator and the third indicator.

For example, the display unit 180 displays the target steering directionwhen steering control is necessary and displays a recommended operationspeed for a steering operation for changing the current steering stateto the target steering direction, thus inducing the driver to perform asteering operation at an appropriate operation steep until the currentsteering state reaches the optimal steering direction. Therefore, thevehicle can stably move along the predicted movement route throughappropriate steering control corresponding to a situation.

The display unit may include a plurality of displays.

In detail, the display unit may include a first display 180 a forprojecting and displaying a graphic image onto and on a vehiclewindshield W. That is, the first display 180 a is a head up display(HUD) and may include a projection module for projecting the graphicimage onto the windshield W. The graphic image projected by theprojection module may have predetermined transparency. Accordingly, auser may simultaneously view the front and rear sides of the graphicimage.

The graphic image may overlap the image projected onto the windshield Wto achieve augmented reality (AR).

The display unit may include a second display 180 b separately providedinside the vehicle to display an image of the driver assistancefunction.

In detail, the second display 180 b may be a display of a vehiclenavigation apparatus or a cluster located at an internal front side ofthe vehicle.

The second display 180 b may include at least one selected from among aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Thin Film Transistor LCD (TFT LCD), anOrganic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), a flexible display, a 3D display,and an e-ink display.

The second display 180 b may be combined with a gesture input unit toachieve a touchscreen.

Also, the display unit 180 may include a third display unit 180 cdirectly disposed on a steering input unit 721A to display an indicator.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 8, the third display unit 180 caccording to an implementation may include a plurality of display unitsarranged at equal intervals along the outer circumference of thesteering input unit 721A. Each of the display units may be a lightcapable of being turned on/off. In this case, the third display unit 180c may be a lighting apparatus including a plurality of light emittingdiodes (LEDs).

The display unit performs display in different manners according tovehicle state information by changing at least one of brightness,luminance, saturation, hue, shape, size, and pattern, thus indicating asteering operation sensitivity, the recommended operation speed, theoperation direction, or the like.

For example, when a speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed,the display unit may display, through a specific color, a warningindicating that the steering sensitivity that is a rate at which thevehicle is turned becomes sensitive upon turning of the steering.

Specifically, the display unit may inform the driver of a state wherethe steering sensitivity is gradually becoming sensitive by raising thesaturation of the display unit as the speed increases.

The third display unit 180 c directly displays information aboutsteering control on the steering input unit 721A, allowing the driver tointuitively understand the steering control information.

Referring back to the description for provision of the steering controlinformation, the third display unit 180 c turns on a display unitdisposed at a position corresponding to the current steering state todisplay the first indicator 10, turns on a display unit corresponding tothe target steering direction to display the third indicator 30, andturns on display units disposed between the first indicator 10 and thethird indicator 30 to display the second indicator 20. In this case, thedisplay units corresponding to the first to third indicators 10 to 30can be distinguished from one another by displaying different colors.

Also, at least some of the display units of the second indicator 20 areturned off sequentially according to the elapse of time to indicate therecommended operation steep for steering control. Specifically, therecommended operation speed can be indicated in such a way that displayunits on the side of the first indicator 10 are sequentially turned offand a display unit on the side of the third indicator 30 is finallyturned off according to the elapse of time.

Therefore, the steering is controlled such that a display unit fordisplaying the first indicator 10 is changed according to the displayunits which are turned off, to enable the control of the steering to beperformed at the recommended operation speed, thus enabling thepredicted movement route to be followed.

In particular, the display units of the third display unit 180 c maydisplay the first to third indicators 10, 20, and 30 continuously whilethe display units which are turned on are being changed according tosteering control.

First, there will be described a case where a rate at which a steeringinput unit is turned versus a rate at which a wheel of the vehicle issteered is 1:1.

When a current steering state moves by an angle by which the vehiclewheel is steered according to turning of the steering, in order todisplay the first indicator 10, a display unit disposed in the steeringdirection SC is continuously turned on as the vehicle wheel is steered,thus displaying the first indicator 10.

The target steering direction corresponds to a direction that is rotatedfrom a fixed absolute position, such as the steering center directionCL, by a predetermined angle regardless of rotation of the steering. Assuch, even if the steering input unit (e.g., steering wheel) is rotated,the absolute position of the target steering direction may remain fixed,thus providing a stationary target for the driver to achieve whilesteering. To provide such a fixed target, a display unit for displayingthe third indicator 30 is changed to correspond with, and to compensatefor, rotation of the steering input unit. By changing the display unitthat displays the third indicator 30, the absolute position of the thirdindicator remains fixed despite rotation of the steering input unit.

That is, regardless of the rotation of the steering, the display unitfor displaying the third indicator 30 is a display unit which indicatesa direction which is rotated by the predetermined angle from thesteering center direction CL. Therefore, as the steering is rotated, thedisplay unit for displaying the third indicator 30 may be shifted in theopposite direction to the rotation of the steering, which may be definedas “shift back”.

For example, when the steering is rotated one click (an interval betweendisplay units) to the left, the display unit for displaying the thirdindicator 30 may be a display unit disposed at a position shifted oneclick to the right from the display unit which displays the thirdindicator 30 previously.

In this case, the steering center direction CL represents a steeringdirection in which a vehicle heading direction is parallel to adirection of the vehicle's wheels.

Similarly, the second indicator 20 is displayed by display units fordisplaying the direction which is rotated by the predetermined anglefrom the steering center direction CL regardless of the rotation of thesteering. Therefore, when the steering direction SC moves according tosteering control, the display units for displaying the second indicator20 may be shifted back.

For example, when the steering is rotated one click to the left, thedisplay units for displaying the second indicator 20 may be displayunits disposed at positions respectively shifted one click to the rightfrom the display units before the rotation.

When the rate at which the steering is turned is not equal to the rateat which the vehicle wheel is steered, the display unit for displayingthe first indicator 10 may be changed according to steering control.Specifically, since the current steering state indicated by the firstindicator 10 represents a vehicle wheel direction, the rate at which thesteering is turned is different from the rate at which the vehicle wheelis steered, a display unit which indicates the direction in which thevehicle wheel is steered according to the steering control may displaythe first indicator 10.

According to another implementation, the third display unit 180 c maycontinuously display the first to third indicators 10 to 30.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 9, the third display unit 180 c may adisplay which displays a graphic image continuously along the outercircumference of the steering. Specifically, the third display unit 180c displays the first indicator 10 so as to indicate the current steeringstate, displays the third indicator 30 so as to indicate the targetsteering direction, and displays the second indicator 20 between thefirst indicator 10 and the third indicator 30.

In this case, the second indicator 20 may indicate steering operationsensitivity, the recommended operation speed, an operation direction, orthe like, by changing at least one of brightness, luminance, saturation,hue, shape, size, and pattern in different manners.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the second indicator 20 mayindicate the operation direction, the operation speed, or the like, insuch a way to be faded out gradually from the side of the thirdindicator 30 to the side of the first indicator 10.

In addition, the second indicator 20 may indicate the recommendedoperation speed in such a way to be shaded gradually from the side ofthe third indicator 30 to the side of the first indicator 10, with theshading being changed gradually according to the elapse of time.

In summary, the third display unit 180 c is disposed on the steering todirectly display an indicator for each direction for steering, allowingthe driver to intuitively understand the steering control information.

On the other hand, the first display unit 180 a or the second displayunit 180 b displays a virtual steering image, which is similar to thesteering, by using a graphic image, and displays an indicator on thevirtual steering image, thus providing the steering control informationto the driver.

It is noted that the present disclosure is not limited to aconfiguration to display the indicator on the virtual steering image,and it is possible to display the indicator based on a graphic image,such as a bar-shaped image or a semicircle-shaped image.

According to an implementation, it is preferable that the steeringcontrol information is displayed by using the virtual steering image inorder for the driver to intuitively understand the steering controlinformation. In the following description, a method of displaying anindicator based on a steering image will be described.

On the other hand, the first display unit 180 a displays a recommendedmovement route by using a graphic image and displays steering controlinformation for following the recommended movement route by using agraphic image on a windshield, allowing the driver to be provided withthe steering control information while maintaining a front view.

Next, the audio output unit 185 may audibly output a message forexplaining the function of the display apparatus 100 and checkingwhether the driver assistance function is performed. That is, thedisplay apparatus 100 may provide explanation of the function of thedisplay apparatus 100 via visual display of the display unit 180 andaudio output of the audio output unit 185.

Next, the haptic output unit may output an alarm for the driverassistance function in a haptic manner. For example, the displayapparatus 100 may output vibration to the user when a warning isincluded in at least one of navigation information, traffic information,communication information, vehicle state information, advanced driverassistance system (ADAS) function and other driver convenienceinformation.

The haptic output unit may provide directional vibration. For example,the haptic output unit may be provided in a steering apparatus forcontrolling steering to output vibration. Left or right vibration may beoutput according to the left and right sides of the steering apparatusto enable directional haptic output.

In addition, the power supply 190 may receive power and supply powernecessary for operation of the components under control of the processor170.

Lastly, the display apparatus 100 may include the processor 170 forcontrolling overall operation of the units of the display apparatus 100.

In addition, the processor 170 may control at least some of thecomponents described with reference to FIG. 3 in order to execute theapplication program. Further, the processor 170 may operate by combiningat least two of the components included in the display apparatus 100 es,in order to execute the application program.

The processor 170 may be implemented in a hardware manner using at leastone selected from among Application Specific Integrated Circuits(ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal ProcessingDevices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors 170,and electric units for the implementation of other functions.

The processor 170 may be controlled by the controller or may controlvarious functions of the vehicle through the controller.

The processor 170 may control overall operation of the display apparatus100 in addition to operation related to the application programs storedin the memory 140. The processor 170 may process signals, data,information, etc. via the above-described components or execute theapplication programs stored in the memory 140 to provide appropriateinformation or functions to the user.

A method of assisting steering control in the processor 170 according toan implementation will be described below in detail with reference toFIGS. 10 to 15.

First, referring to FIG. 10, the processor 170 may acquire vehicle stateinformation (S101).

Specifically, the processor 170 may acquire the vehicle stateinformation through the interface unit 130 and the communication unit120.

Such vehicle state information may include vehicle steering information,position information, acceleration information, acceleration speedinformation, heading sensor information, yaw sensor information, vehiclewheel sensor information, and the like, and may be used to generatesteering control information.

Also, the processor 170 may acquire vehicle periphery information(S102).

Specifically, the processor 170 may acquire the vehicle peripheryinformation through at least one of the sensor unit 155, the interfaceunit 130, and the communication unit 120.

Such vehicle periphery information may include navigation information,traffic information, driving information of other vehicles, and thelike, and may be used to generate the steering control information.

Thereafter, the processor 170 may detect a situation where turning ofthe heading direction of the vehicle is necessary from the vehicleperiphery information. In addition, the processor 170 may generate,based on the vehicle periphery information, a predicted movement routeincluding at least one turning operation (S103).

Specifically, the processor 170 may detect detection of an obstaclehaving a possibility of collision, curve driving, lane change, or thelike, as a situation in which turning is necessary.

When the situation in which turning is necessary is detected, theprocessor 170 may generate a predicted movement route including at leastone turning.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 11, a predicted movement route may begenerated, which includes a first turning by which the heading directionof the vehicle is changed (e.g., to D1) and a second turning having adifferent turning direction from a first turning direction D1.

When the predicted movement route is generated, the processor 170 maycalculate a target steering direction and a recommended operation speedfor following the predicted movement route (S104).

The target steering direction may be the first turning direction D1 thatis the heading direction of the vehicle at a point P1 (hereinafter,referred to as a “first point”) at which the heading direction is turnedmaximally in a first turning movement route (e.g., the portion of theroute from P0 to P1). That is, referring to FIG. 11, the first turningdirection D1 that is the heading direction of the vehicle at the firstpoint P1, may be determined as the target steering direction.

When a vehicle wheel direction is turned in the first turning directionD1 after the first turning direction D1 of the vehicle is determined asthe target steering direction, the vehicle cannot follow the predictedmovement route.

Specifically, it can be seen from FIG. 12 that, when the vehicle movesalong the predicted movement route, the vehicle wheel direction W1 atthe first position P1 is a direction that is further rotated in thedirection of turning from the first turning direction D1. Therefore, itis preferable that the target steering direction is the vehicle wheeldirection that is further rotated from the first turning direction D1 bya predetermined angle.

On the other hand, when the driver performs a steering operation fromthe current steering state to the target steering direction at a lowerspeed or a higher speed, the vehicle cannot follow the predictedmovement route, thus resulting in a necessity to further calculate anddisplay a steering operation speed.

The processor 170 may calculate the steering operation direction or thesteering operation speed based on the vehicle state information, thevehicle periphery information, or the predicted movement route.

When calculating the target steering direction, the current steeringstate, and the recommended operation speed, the processor 170 mayperform control such that the display unit 180 displays them by usingthe indicators (S105).

Specifically, the processor 170 may perform control such that the firstdisplay unit 180 a or/and the second display unit 180 b displays anindicator on the virtual steering image.

Also, the processor 170 may perform control such that the third displayunit 180 c displays an indicator on an actual steering.

The following description is given under the assumption that control isperformed such that the third display unit 180 c displays an indicatoron an actual steering. This description will be understood as the firstdisplay unit 180 a and the second display unit 180 b display indicatorsby using the virtual steering image.

When it is necessary to turn the steering at least once in order formovement from the current steering state to the target steeringdirection, the processor 170 may perform control such that at least oneof the first to third indicators 10, 20, and 30 displays theabove-described state.

Referring to FIG. 13A, when to rotate the steering once or more times isunnecessary in order for movement from the current steering state to thetarget steering direction, the first indicator 10 is displayed toindicate the current steering state, the third indicator 30 is displayedto indicate the target steering direction, and the second indicator 20is displayed in an outer circumference between the first indicator 10and the third indicator 30.

The driver controls the steering such that the first indicator 10 ismoved to the third indicator 30 according to the indication of thesecond indicator 20, thus enabling the driver to drive the vehiclestably along a turning movement route.

Referring to FIG. 13B, when it is necessary to rotate the steering tothe target steering direction once or more times, the second indicator20 displays this situation through a rotation indicator 20 a, thusinforming the driver of the situation. In this case, as the steering isrotated, the first indicator 10 is slowly moved, and when the firstindicator 10 is rotated once, the first indicator 10 may reach theposition of the rotation indicator 20 a.

The processor 170 may display the recommended operation speed in a waythat the second indicator 20 is gradually shaded from the side of thethird indicator 30 to the side of the first indicator 10, with theshading being changed gradually according to the elapse of time.

Next, the processor 170 may change the display of the indicator as thesteering is controlled (S106).

The display units of the third display unit 180 c may display the firstto the third indicators 10, 20 and 30 continuously, while the displayunits which are turned on are being changed according to steeringcontrol.

Specifically, a display position of the third indicator 30 is determinedaccording to a relationship with the steering center line CL regardlessof steering control. Therefore, when the positions of the display unitsare changed according to steering control, a display unit for displayingthe third indicator 30 is also changed.

For example, referring to FIG. 14A, the display unit for displaying thethird indicator 30 is a seventh display unit 57, which is locatedseventh from the left side of the center line CL.

Referring to FIG. 14B, when the steering is rotated four clicks to theleft, the display units are shifted. The display unit for displayingthird indicator 30 is a third display unit 53 located seventh from thecenter line CL.

That is, when the steering is rotated to the left by an anglecorresponding to one click, the display unit for displaying the thirdindicator 30 is shifted back to a display unit disposed on the rightside.

Also, in the case of the first indicator, when a rate at which thesteering is turned is not equal to a rate at which the vehicle wheel issteered, the display unit for displaying the first indicator 10 is alsochanged according to steering control.

Specifically, since the current steering state indicated by the firstindicator 10 represents a vehicle direction, a rate of an angle by whichthe steering is turned is different from a rate of an angle by which thevehicle wheel is steered, a display unit which displays the direction inwhich the vehicle wheel is steered according to the steering control maydisplay the first indicator 10.

On the other hand, the processor 170 may modify the predicted movementroute as the vehicle moves. In this case, the display of the thirdindicator 30 may be modified such that the vehicle can follow themodified predicted movement route.

Thereafter, the processor 170 may detect whether there is anover-steering operation in which the current steering state passedthrough the target steering direction (S107).

Specifically, when it is detected from the vehicle state informationthat the degree of the steering operation represents that the currentsteering state passed through the target steering direction, theprocessor 170 may detect this state as the over-steering operation.

When the over-steering operation is detected, the processor 170 mayperform control so as to perform at least one corresponding output(S108).

Specifically, when the over-steering operation in which the thirdindicator 30 passed through the first indicator 10 is detected, theprocessor 170 may control the display unit 180 such that the secondindicator 20 displays an indication that the over-steering operation ismade.

Also, when the over-steering operation is detected, the processor 170may perform control such that a haptic output unit 183 outputs a forcethat acts against the over-steering operation.

In this case, when a force for performing the steering operation isequal to or larger than a predetermined force after the force actingagainst the over-steering operation is output, the processor 170 stopshaptic output, thus allowing the driver to smoothly perform desiredsteering control.

Also, when the over-steering operation is detected, the processor 170may perform control such that the audio output unit 185 outputs adirectional alarm alerting the over-steering operation.

When the vehicle arrives at a first turning (D1) movement route (maximumdisplacement point), the processor 170 may calculate and display atarget steering direction and a recommended operation speed for a secondturning (D2) movement route (S109).

The point P2 at which the second turning D2 is maximally displaced withrespect to the first turning D1 may be a position at which the vehiclestarts straight driving.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 12, the maximum displacement point ofthe second turning D2 may be a second point P2. In this case, theheading direction of the vehicle may be a straight direction D2. It canbe seen that the vehicle wheel direction W2 needs to be more turned thanthe heading direction D2 that is straight, in a direction in which thesecond turning D2 is performed.

Therefore, according to an implementation, the target steering directionfor the second turning D2 may be a direction which is more moved towardthe second turning D2 from the steering center direction. For example,when the driver intends to perform lane change and drive on the changedlane, the second turning is needed, and therefore, it is possible todisplay the target steering direction for the second turning.

In addition, the processor 170 may end display of the steering controlinformation by displaying the first to third indicators 10, 20, and 30at a steering center position (S110).

A process by which the third display unit 180 c provides steeringcontrol information in the situation of FIG. 12, according to animplementation will be described below in detail with reference to FIG.14.

At a start point before a first turning D1 is started, as illustrated inFIG. 14A, a display unit located at a center of the steering is turnedon, thus displaying the first indicator 10 indicating a current steeringstate.

At a first point P1 that is the maximum turning point upon the firstturning D1, a display unit located in a steering direction correspondingto a vehicle wheel direction is turned on, thus displaying the thirdindicator 30 representing a target steering direction.

Also, a display unit located between the first indicator 10 and thethird indicator 30 is turned on, thus displaying the second indicator 20indicating recommended operation direction and speed.

That is, the first to sixth display units 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 areturned on to display the second indicator 20.

When the steering is controlled, a display unit 54 corresponding to acontrolled steering direction is turned on, thus displaying the firstindicator 10.

The second indicator 20 may indicate the recommended operation speed insuch a way that the display units corresponding to the second indicator20 are sequentially turned off from the display unit 51 on the side ofthe first indicator 10 to the display unit 56 on the side of the thirdindicator 30 according to the elapse of time.

FIG. 14B illustrates a state of the third display unit 180 c before thevehicle arrives at the first point P1 after passing through the startpoint. It can be seen from FIG. 14B that, as time elapses, the firstdisplay unit 51 to the fourth display unit 54 are turned offsequentially in the order thereof, and the fifth display unit 55 and thesixth display unit 56 remains turned on, thus displaying the secondindicator 20. The current steering state corresponds to the fourthdisplay unit 54 which displays the first indicator 10.

That is, there is illustrated a case where the driver has controlled thesteering appropriately such that the second indicator 20, in which thedisplay units thereof are sequentially turned off, follows the displayunit of the first indicator 10 which is turned off well.

When the over-steering operation is made, as illustrated in FIG. 14C, adisplay unit disposed at a position which passed through the targetsteering direction is turned on to display the first indicator 10 andthe second indicator 20 is displayed between the third indicator 30 andthe first indicator 10, thus displaying an indication that theover-steering operation is made. In this case, the second indicator 20may be displayed with a color having a high saturation (for example,red) in order to indicate a warning.

When the driver appropriately controls the steering until the firstpoint P1 and the target steering direction is then reached, asillustrated in FIG. 14D, the first to third indicators 10 to 30 may bedisplayed to be superimposed on a display unit located in the targetsteering direction.

In order for the second turning D2 opposite to the first turning D1after the vehicle arrives at the first point P1, as illustrated in FIG.14E, the first to third indicators 10 to 30 may be displayed.Specifically, the target steering direction may be indicated by thethird indicator 30 in such a way that a display unit located at aposition which passed through the steering center line CL toward thesecond turning D2 is turned on. In addition, the second indicator 20 maybe displayed in such a way that a display unit located between the firstindicator 10 indicating the current steering state and the thirdindicator 30 is turned on.

When shift back steering control is completed and the steering islocated in the center direction, as illustrated in FIG. 14F, a displayunit located in the steering center direction is turned on and thesteering control information display function may be ended.

A process by which the third display unit 180 c provides steeringcontrol information in the situation of FIG. 12 according to anotherimplementation will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

At a start point P0 before a first turning D1 is started, as illustratedin FIG. 15A, the first indicator 10 indicating a current steering statemay be displayed at the steering center. In addition, the thirdindicator 30 indicating the target steering direction with respect to asteering direction that is a predicted vehicle wheel direction may bedisplayed at the first point P1 that is the maximum turning point uponthe first turning D1. The second indicator 20 indicating recommendedoperation direction and speed may be displayed between the firstindicator 10 and the third indicator 30. In this case, the secondindicator 20 may be displayed by changing at least one of the hue,saturation, luminance, brightness, and size thereof for each position inorder to indicate the recommended operation direction and speed. In FIG.15A, the second indicator 20 is displayed in such a way that theluminance thereof increases from the side of the first indicator 10 tothe side of the third indicator 30, thus indicating the recommendeddirection and speed.

When the steering is controlled, the first indicator 10 may be displayedat a position corresponding to the controlled steering direction.

The second indicator 20 may indicate the recommended operation speed insuch a way that the second indicator 20 is gradually shaded from theside of the third indicator 30 to the side of the first indicator 10,with the shading being changed gradually according to the elapse oftime.

FIG. 15B illustrates a state of the third display unit 180 c before thevehicle arrives at the first point P1 by passing through the start pointP0 in which the second indicator 20 is shaded from the side of the thirdindicator 30 to the side of the first indicator 10 according to theelapse of time, and the first indicator 10 indicating the currentsteering state appropriately follows the second indicator 20 which isshaded. That is, it can be seen that the driver appropriately controlsthe steering such the first indicator 10 appropriately follows thesecond indicator 20 which is gradually shaded over time.

Since the current steering state passes through the target steeringdirection when the over-steering operation is made as illustrated inFIG. 5C, the first indicator 10 is displayed at a correspondingposition, and the second indicator 20 is displayed between the thirdindicator 30 and the first indicator 10, thus displaying an indicationthat the over-steering is made. In this case, the second indicator 20may be displayed with a color having a high saturation (for example,red) in order to indicate a warning.

When the driver appropriately controls the steering until the firstpoint P1 to reach the target steering direction, as illustrated in FIG.15D, the first to third indicators 30 may be displayed to besuperimposed on an existing target steering direction.

After the vehicle arrives at the first point P1, as illustrated in FIG.15E, the first to third indicators 30 may be again displayed in orderfor the second turning D2 opposite to the first turning D1.Specifically, the target steering direction may be indicated by thethird indicator 30 at a relevant position which passed through thesteering center line CL toward the second turning D2.

In addition, the first indicator 10 indicating the current steeringstate and the second indicator between the first indicator 10 and thethird indicator 30 may be displayed.

When the steering is located in the center direction after theshift-back operation is finished, as illustrated in FIG. 15F, anindicator is displayed in the steering center direction and the steeringcontrol information display function may be ended.

As described in the above implementation, the display apparatus 100provides steering control information based on internal/externalinformation of the vehicle so as to allow a driver to intuitivelyunderstand the steering control information to assist the driver incontrolling the steering, thus achieving safe turning drive andenhancing the driver's convenience.

Specific examples in which the steering control information is providedwill be described below. In this case, redundant description as beingthe same as the description of the above-described implementations willbe omitted for convenience of description.

A process of providing steering control information when it is necessaryto avoid an obstacle after the obstacle is detected will be describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18.

First, the processor 170 may acquire vehicle periphery information(S201).

Specifically, the processor 170 may acquire information about objectslocated in the vicinity of the vehicle through the sensor unit.

The processor 170 may detect obstacles from the vehicle peripheryinformation (S202).

Specifically, the processor 170 may detect an object ahead, which hasrisk of collision, as an obstacle. In this case, the risk of collisionmay be determined based on the distance and direction to the object fromthe vehicle, a vehicle speed, a speed of the obstacle, or the like.

When the obstacle is detected, the processor 170 may generate a movementroute for avoiding the obstacle based on the vehicle peripheryinformation (S203).

Furthermore, the processor 170 calculates and displays a target steeringdirection and a recommended operation speed through the first to thirdindicators 10 to 30 (S204).

Next, the processor 170 changes the display of the first to thirdindicators 10 to 30 according to steering control (S205).

Specifically, referring to FIG. 17, when the vehicle ahead is detectedas an obstacle, a predicted movement route for avoiding the vehicleahead may be calculated. Specifically, the avoidance movement route maybe designed to have a path from a start point P0 to a destination pointby passing through a first point P1 and a second point P2 and may haveat least two times of turnings.

In addition, in a process of following the avoidance movement route, thefirst to third indicators 10 to 30 are displayed as illustrated in FIG.17, resulting in the provision of steering control information.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 18, the first display unit 180 adisplays a first graphic image representing a recommended movement routeand a second graphic image that is a virtual steering image, thusproviding the steering control information to the driver more certainly.

A process of providing steering control information in the case ofpassing through a narrow road will be described below with reference toFIGS. 19 to 23.

First, the processor 170 may acquire vehicle periphery information(S301).

Specifically, the processor 170 may acquire information about objectslocated in the vicinity of the vehicle through the sensor unit.

The processor 170 may detect whether the vehicle enters a narrow roadfrom the vehicle periphery information (S302).

Specifically, referring to FIG. 20, the processor 170 detects objectsdetermining left and right limits of the road. When it is detected thata width d between the objects is equal to or less than a predeterminedlength, the processor 170 may provide steering control information.

When the road is detected as being equal to or less than a predeterminedwidth, the processor 170 may perform control such that the first displayunit 180 a displays a graphic image indicating boundaries of the widthof a movement route on the windshield. Specifically, referring to FIG.21, the graphic image is displayed to be superimposed on curbs locatedat the left and right of the road, allowing a driver to certainlyrecognize the boundaries of the road.

Also, the processor 170 may display boundaries of a steering directionwhich is movable within the narrow road by using an indicator (S304).

Specifically, referring to FIG. 22, an indicator 41 indicates a boundaryof the steering direction where the vehicle does not collide with a leftobject and an indicator 42 indicates a boundary of the steeringdirection where the vehicle does not collide with a right object.

That is, when a steering operation exceeding the indicator 41 isperformed, this means that an over-steering operation is made, and thevehicle may collide with the left object.

Also, the processor 170 may detect the over-steering operation in whichthe first indicator 10 passes through the indicator 41 or the indicator42 (S305).

Referring to FIG. 23, there is illustrated a state in which the firstindicator 10 passes through the indicator 41 because the over-steeringoperation is made. In this case, it may be possible to alert theover-steering operation by displaying the second indicator 20therebetween (S306).

In this case, the processor 170 may further provide haptic output or/andaudio output to prevent the over-steering operation of the driver.

After the vehicle gets out of the narrow road, an indicator is displayedin the center of the steering, and then the steering informationprovision function is ended (S307).

The steering information provision function may be provided while thesteering is being autonomously controlled.

Referring to FIG. 24, the processor 170 may detect a state where thesteering is autonomously controlled (S401).

Specifically, the processor 170 may detect the state where the steeringinput unit (e.g., steering wheel) is autonomously controlled when thevehicle is under autonomous driving, autonomous parking, autonomousvehicle takeout, and remote control.

Also, depending on settings or a user input, the steering may or may notbe synchronized with a vehicle wheel direction (S402).

When the direction of a vehicle wheel is changed in a case where thesteering is synchronized with a vehicle wheel, the steering is alsorotated corresponding to a change in the direction of the vehicle wheel,thus allowing the driver to know that the vehicle wheel is under thecontrol (S403).

However, autonomous rotation of the steering needs unnecessary powerconsumption, and the user may feel inconvenience in the autonomousrotation of the steering.

Therefore, when the steering is not synchronized with the vehicle wheel,the direction of the vehicle wheel only may be changed in a state wherethe steering is fixed (S404).

In this case, the processor 170 displays an indicator in a steeringdirection corresponding to a change in the direction of the vehiclewheel, thus informing the driver that a movement direction of thevehicle is changed and in which direction and at which speed themovement direction of the vehicle is changed (S405).

Specifically, referring to FIG. 25, the processor 170 indicates acurrent direction of the steering by using the first indicator 10 andindicates a target direction to which the vehicle wheel direction is tobe changed by using the third indicator 30

Therefore, this display allows the user to know a state of theautonomous steering without displeasure.

Referring to the FIG. 26, the above-described display apparatus 100 maybe included in the vehicle.

The vehicle 700 may include a communication unit 710, an input unit 720,a sensing unit 760, an output unit 740, a vehicle drive unit 750, amemory 730, an interface 780, a controller 770, a power supply unit 790,a display apparatus 100 and AVN apparatus 400. Here, among the unitsincluded in the display apparatus 100 and the units of the vehicle 700,the units having the same names are described as being included in thevehicle 700.

The communication unit 710 may include one or more modules which permitcommunication such as wireless communication between the vehicle and themobile terminal 600, between the vehicle and the external server 50 orbetween the vehicle and the other vehicle 510. Further, thecommunication unit 710 may include one or more modules which connect thevehicle to one or more networks.

The communication unit 710 includes a broadcast receiving module 711, awireless Internet module 712, a short-range communication module 713,and an optical communication module 715.

The broadcast reception module 711 receives a broadcast signal orbroadcast related information from an external broadcast managementserver through a broadcast channel. Here, the broadcast includes a radiobroadcast or a TV broadcast.

The wireless Internet module 712 refers to a wireless Internet accessmodule and may be provided inside or outside the vehicle. The wirelessInternet module 712 transmits and receives a wireless signal through acommunication network according to wireless Internet accesstechnologies.

Examples of such wireless Internet access technologies include WirelessLAN (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, Digital LivingNetwork Alliance (DLNA), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), High Speed DownlinkPacket Access (HSDPA), HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), LongTerm Evolution (LTE), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), and thelike. The wireless Internet module 712 may transmit/receive dataaccording to one or more of such wireless Internet technologies, andother Internet technologies as well. For example, the wireless Internetmodule 712 may wirelessly exchange data with the external server 500.The wireless Internet module 72 may receive weather information and roadtraffic state information (e.g., transport protocol experts group (TPEG)information) from the external server 500.

The short-range communication module 713 is configured to facilitateshort-range communication. Such short-range communication may besupported using at least one of Bluetooth™, Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-Wideband(UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), Wireless-Fidelity(Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus), andthe like.

The short-range communication module 713 may form a wireless local areanetwork to perform short-range communication between the vehicle and atleast one external device. For example, the short-range communicationmodule 713 may wirelessly exchange data with the mobile terminal 600.The short-range communication module 713 may receive weather informationand road traffic state information (e.g., transport protocol expertsgroup (TPEG) information) from the mobile terminal 600. When a userrides in the vehicle, the mobile terminal 600 of the user and thevehicle may pair with each other automatically or by executing theapplication of the user.

A location information module 714 acquires the location of the vehicleand a representative example thereof includes a global positioningsystem (GPS) module. For example, the vehicle may acquire the locationof the vehicle using a signal received from a GPS satellite uponutilizing the GPS module.

The optical communication module 715 may include a light emitting unitand a light reception unit.

The light reception unit may convert a light signal into an electricsignal and receive information. The light reception unit may include aphotodiode (PD) for receiving light. The photodiode may covert lightinto an electric signal. For example, the light reception unit mayreceive information on a preceding vehicle through light emitted from alight source included in the preceding vehicle.

The light emitting unit may include at least one light emitting elementfor converting electrical signals into a light signal. Here, the lightemitting element may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The light emittingunit converts electrical signals into light signals to emit the light.For example, the light emitting unit may externally emit light viaflickering of the light emitting element corresponding to a prescribedfrequency. In some implementations, the light emitting unit may includean array of a plurality of light emitting elements. In someimplementations, the light emitting unit may be integrated with a lampprovided in the vehicle. For example, the light emitting unit may be atleast one selected from among a headlight, a taillight, a brake light, aturn signal, and a sidelight. For example, the optical communicationmodule 715 may exchange data with the other vehicle 510 via opticalcommunication.

The input unit 720 may include a driving operation unit 721, a camera195, a microphone 723 and a user input unit 724.

The driving operation unit 721 receives user input for driving of thevehicle (see FIG. 2). The driving operation unit 721 may include asteering input unit 721A, a shift input unit 721D, an acceleration inputunit 721C and a brake input unit 721B.

The steering input unit 721A is configured to receive user input withregard to the direction of travel of the vehicle. The steering inputunit 721A may include a steering wheel that is controlled usingrotation. In some implementations, the steering input unit 721A may beconfigured as a touchscreen, a touch pad, or a button.

The shift input unit 721D is configured to receive input for selectingone of Park (P), Drive (D), Neutral (N), and Reverse (R) gears of thevehicle from the user. The shift input unit 721D may have a lever form.In some implementations, the shift input unit 721D may be configured asa touchscreen, a touch pad, or a button.

The acceleration input unit 721C is configured to receive input foracceleration of the vehicle from the user. The brake input unit 721B isconfigured to receive input for speed reduction of the vehicle from theuser. Each of the acceleration input unit 721C and the brake input unit721B may have a pedal form. In some implementations, the accelerationinput unit 721C or the brake input unit 721B may be configured as atouchscreen, a touch pad, or a button.

The camera 722 may include an image sensor and an image processingmodule. The camera 722 may process a still image or a moving imageobtained by the image sensor (e.g., CMOS or CCD). In addition, the imageprocessing module processes the still image or the moving image acquiredthrough the image sensor, extracts necessary information, and deliversthe extracted information to the controller 770. The vehicle may includethe camera 722 for capturing the front image of the vehicle or the imageof the vicinity of the vehicle and the monitoring unit 725 for capturingthe image of the space inside the vehicle.

The monitoring unit 725 may acquire an image of a passenger. Themonitoring unit 725 may acquire an image for biometric information ofthe passenger.

Although the monitoring unit 725 and the camera 722 are included in theinput unit 720 in FIG. X, the camera 722 may be included in the displayapparatus 100 as described above.

The microphone 723 may process external sound signals into electricaldata. The processed data may be utilized in various ways according to afunction that the vehicle is performing. The microphone 723 may converta user voice command into electrical data. The converted electrical datamay be transmitted to the controller 770.

Meanwhile, in some implementations, a camera 722 or the microphone 723may not be included in the input unit 720 but may be included in thesensing unit 760.

The user input unit 724 is configured to receive information from theuser. When information is input via the user input unit 724, thecontroller 770 may control the operation of the vehicle to correspond tothe input information. The user input unit 724 may include a touch inputunit or a mechanical input unit. In some implementations, the user inputunit 724 may be located in a region of the steering input unit (e.g.,steering wheel). In this case, the driver may operate the user inputunit 724 with the fingers while gripping the steering input unit.

The sensing unit 760 is configured to sense signals associated with, forexample, signals related to driving of the vehicle. To this end, thesensing unit 760 may include a collision sensor, a vehicle wheel sensor,a speed sensor, tilt sensor, a weight sensor, a heading sensor, a yawsensor, a gyro sensor, a position module, a vehicle forward/reversesensor, a battery sensor, a fuel sensor, a tire sensor, a steeringsensor based on rotation of the steering input unit (e.g., steeringwheel), a vehicle interior temperature sensor, a vehicle interiorhumidity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a radar, a Lidar, etc.

As such, the sensing unit 760 may acquire sensing signals with regardto, for example, vehicle collision information, vehicle travelingdirection information, vehicle location information (GPS information),vehicle angle information, vehicle speed information, vehicleacceleration information, vehicle tilt information, vehicleforward/reverse information, battery information, fuel information, tireinformation, vehicle lamp information, vehicle interior temperatureinformation, vehicle interior humidity information, rotation angleinformation of the steering input unit (e.g., steering wheel), etc.

Meanwhile, the sensing unit 760 may further include, for example, anaccelerator pedal sensor, a pressure sensor, an engine speed sensor, anAir Flow-rate Sensor (AFS), an Air Temperature Sensor (ATS), a WaterTemperature Sensor (WTS), a Throttle Position Sensor (TPS), a Top DeadCenter (TDC) sensor, and a Crank Angle Sensor (CAS).

The sensing unit 760 may include a biometric sensor. The biometricsensor senses and acquires biometric information of the passenger. Thebiometric information may include fingerprint information, iris-scaninformation, retina-scan information, hand geometry information, facialrecognition information, and voice recognition information. Thebiometric sensor may include a sensor for sensing biometric informationof the passenger. Here, the monitoring unit 725 and the microphone 723may operate as a sensor. The biometric sensor may acquire hand geometryinformation and facial recognition information through the monitoringunit 725.

The output unit 740 is configured to output information processed by thecontroller 770. The output unit 740 may include a display unit 741, asound output unit 742, and a haptic output unit 743.

The display unit 741 may display information processed by the controller770. For example, the display unit 741 may display vehicle associatedinformation. Here, the vehicle associated information may includevehicle control information for direct control of the vehicle or driverassistance information for aiding in driving of the vehicle. Inaddition, the vehicle associated information may include vehicle stateinformation that indicates the current state of the vehicle or vehicletraveling information regarding traveling of the vehicle.

The display unit 741 may include at least one selected from among aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Thin Film Transistor LCD (TFT LCD), anOrganic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), a flexible display, a 3D display,and an e-ink display.

The display unit 741 may configure an inter-layer structure with a touchsensor, or may be integrally formed with the touch sensor to implement atouchscreen. The touchscreen may function as the user input unit 724which provides an input interface between the vehicle and the user andalso function to provide an output interface between the vehicle and theuser. In this case, the display unit 741 may include a touch sensorwhich senses a touch to the display unit 741 so as to receive a controlcommand in a touch manner. When a touch is input to the display unit 741as described above, the touch sensor may sense the touch and thecontroller 770 may generate a control command corresponding to thetouch. Content input in a touch manner may be characters or numbers, ormay be, for example, instructions in various modes or menu items thatmay be designated.

Meanwhile, the display unit 741 may include a cluster to allow thedriver to check vehicle state information or vehicle travelinginformation while driving the vehicle. The cluster may be located on adashboard. In this case, the driver may check information displayed onthe cluster while looking forward.

Meanwhile, in some implementations, the display unit 741 may beimplemented as a head up display (HUD). When the display unit 741 isimplemented as a HUD, information may be output via a transparentdisplay provided at the windshield. Alternatively, the display unit 741may include a projector module to output information via an imageprojected onto the windshield.

The sound output unit 742 is configured to convert electrical signalsfrom the controller 170 into audio signals and to output the audiosignals. To this end, the sound output unit 742 may include, forexample, a speaker. The sound output unit 742 may output soundcorresponding to the operation of the user input unit 724.

The haptic output unit 743 is configured to generate tactile output. Forexample, the haptic output unit 743 may operate to vibrate a steeringinput unit, a safety belt, or a seat so as to allow the user torecognize an output thereof.

The vehicle drive unit 750 may control the operation of various devicesof the vehicle. The vehicle drive unit 750 may include at least one of apower source drive unit 751, a steering drive unit 752, a brake driveunit 753, a lamp drive unit 754, an air conditioner drive unit 755, awindow drive unit 756, an airbag drive unit 757, a sunroof drive unit758, and a suspension drive unit 759.

The power source drive unit 751 may perform electronic control of apower source inside the vehicle.

For example, in the case where a fossil fuel based engine (notillustrated) is a power source, the power source drive unit 751 mayperform electronic control of the engine. As such, the power sourcedrive unit 751 may control, for example, an output torque of the engine.In the case where the power source drive unit 751 is an engine, thepower source drive unit 751 may control the speed of the vehicle bycontrolling the output torque of the engine under the control of thecontroller 770.

In another example, in the case where an electric motor (notillustrated) is a power source, the power source drive unit 751 mayperform control of the motor. As such, the power source drive unit 751may control, for example, the RPM and torque of the motor.

The steering drive unit 752 may perform electronic control of a steeringapparatus inside the vehicle. The steering drive unit 752 may change thedirection of travel of the vehicle.

The brake drive unit 753 may perform electronic control of a brakeapparatus (not illustrated) inside the vehicle. For example, the brakedrive unit 753 may reduce the speed of the vehicle by controlling theoperation of brakes located at vehicle wheels. In another example, thebrake drive unit 753 may adjust the direction of travel of the vehicleleftward or rightward by differentiating the operation of respectivebrakes located at left and right vehicle wheels.

The lamp drive unit 754 may turn at least one lamp arranged inside andoutside the vehicle on or off. In addition, the lamp drive unit 754 maycontrol, for example, the intensity and direction of light of each lamp.For example, the lamp drive unit 754 may perform control of a turnsignal lamp or a brake lamp.

The air conditioner drive unit 755 may perform electronic control of anair conditioner (not illustrated) inside the vehicle. For example, whenthe interior temperature of the vehicle is high, the air conditionerdrive unit 755 may operate the air conditioner to supply cold air to theinterior of the vehicle.

The window drive unit 756 may perform electronic control of a windowapparatus inside the vehicle. For example, the window drive unit 756 maycontrol opening or closing of left and right windows of the vehicle.

The airbag drive unit 757 may perform the electronic control of anairbag apparatus inside the vehicle. For example, the airbag drive unit757 may control an airbag to be deployed in a dangerous situation.

The sunroof drive unit 758 may perform electronic control of a sunroofapparatus (not illustrated) inside the vehicle. For example, the sunroofdrive unit 758 may control opening or closing of a sunroof.

The suspension drive unit 759 may perform electronic control of asuspension apparatus (not shown) inside the vehicle. For example, when aroad surface is uneven, the suspension drive unit 759 may control thesuspension apparatus to reduce vibrations of the vehicle.

The memory 730 is electrically connected to the controller 770. Thememory 730 may store basic data of the unit, control data for operationcontrol of the unit and input/output data. The memory 730 may be variousstorage apparatuses, which are implemented in a hardware manner, such asa ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash drive and hard drive. The memory 730 may storea variety of data for overall operation of the vehicle, such as aprogram for processing or control of the controller 770.

The interface 780 may serve as a passage for various kinds of externaldevices that are connected to the vehicle. For example, the interface780 may have a port that is connectable to the mobile terminal 600 andmay be connected to the mobile terminal 600 via the port. In this case,the interface 780 may exchange data with the mobile terminal 600.

The interface 780 may serve as a passage for providing electric energyto the connected mobile terminal 600. When the mobile terminal 600 iselectrically connected to the interface 780, the interface 780 mayprovide electric energy supplied from the power supply unit 790 to themobile terminal 600 under control of the controller 770.

The controller 770 may control the overall operation of each unit insidethe vehicle. The controller 770 may be referred to as an ElectronicControl Unit (ECU).

The controller 770 may perform a function corresponding to the deliveredsignal according to delivery of a signal for executing the displayapparatus 100.

The controller 770 may be implemented in a hardware manner using atleast one selected from among Application Specific Integrated Circuits(ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal ProcessingDevices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers,microprocessors, and electric units for the implementation of otherfunctions.

The controller 770 may perform the role of the above-described processor170. That is, the processor 170 of the display apparatus 100 may bedirectly set in the controller 770 of the vehicle. In such animplementation, the display apparatus 100 may be understood as acombination of some components of the vehicle.

Alternatively, the controller 770 may control the components to transmitinformation requested by the processor 170.

The power supply unit 790 may supply power required to operate therespective components under the control of the controller 770. Inparticular, the power supply unit 790 may receive power from, forexample, a battery (not illustrated) inside the vehicle.

The AVN apparatus 400 may exchange data with the controller 770. Thecontroller 770 may receive navigation information from the AVN apparatusor a separate navigation apparatus. Here, the navigation information mayinclude destination information, information on a route to thedestination, map information related to vehicle traveling and currentposition information of the vehicle.

The display apparatus according to the implementations providesappropriate steering control information based on internal/externalinformation of the vehicle so as to allow a driver to intuitivelyunderstand the steering control information to assist the driver incontrolling a steering, thus achieving safe turning drive and aiding ina steering operation of the driver.

Specifically, the display apparatus displays the target steeringposition when steering control is necessary and displays a recommendedoperation speed of a steering operation for changing the currentsteering state to an optimal steering position, thus allowing the driverto perform a steering operation at an appropriate operation steep untilthe current steering state reaches the optimal steering position.

Therefore, the vehicle can stably move along the predicted movementroute through appropriate steering control corresponding to a situation.

The above described features, configurations, effects, and the like areincluded in at least one of the implementations, and should not belimited to only one implementation. In addition, the features,configurations, effects, and the like as illustrated in eachimplementation may be implemented with regard to other implementationsas they are combined with one another or modified by those skilled inthe art. Thus, content related to these combinations and modificationsshould be construed as including in the scope and spirit of theinvention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Further, although the implementations have been mainly described untilnow, they are just exemplary and do not limit the present invention.Thus, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertainswill know that various modifications and applications which have notbeen exemplified may be carried out within a range which does notdeviate from the essential characteristics of the implementations. Forinstance, the constituent elements described in detail in the exemplaryimplementations can be modified to be carried out. Further, thedifferences related to such modifications and applications shall beconstrued to be included in the scope of the present invention specifiedin the attached claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a sensor unitconfigured to acquire vehicle periphery information; an interface unitconfigured to acquire vehicle state information; a display unitconfigured to display a first indicator indicating a current steeringdirection, a third indicator indicating a target steering state, and asecond indicator displayed at a position between the first indicator andthe third indicator; and a processor configured to determine the targetsteering direction based on the vehicle state information and thevehicle periphery information.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to: detect, based on thevehicle periphery information, a movement route for a vehicle includingat least one turning operation; and determine the target steeringdirection according to the movement route.
 3. The display apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect aturning direction from the movement route; and determine, as the targetsteering direction, a direction that is turned by more than apredetermined angle relative to the turning direction detected from themovement route.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the currentsteering state is a state where a vehicle wheel is steered with respectto a heading direction of a vehicle.
 5. The display apparatus of claim1, wherein the second indicator indicates a recommended steering speedby displaying a gradual shading that changes over time in a directionfrom the first indicator towards the third indicator.
 6. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the display unit so as to change a display position of at leastone of the first indicator, the second indicator, or the third indicatorwhen a steering operation is detected.
 7. The display apparatus of claim6, wherein the processor is further configured to: change a displayposition of the first indicator so as to indicate a vehicle wheeldirection which is changed according to the steering operation; andcontrol the display unit to display the first indicator at the changeddisplay position.
 8. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: shift, in a direction that isopposite the direction of steering, a position at which the thirdindicator is displayed according to the steering operation; and performcontrol such that the display unit displays the third indicator at theposition which is shifted opposite the direction of steering, whereinthe third indicator is displayed at the position which is shiftedopposite the direction of steering such that the third indicator ismaintained as being displayed at a fixed position with respect to acenter position of steering.
 9. The display apparatus of claim 8,wherein the processor is further configured to: shift, in the directionthat is opposite the direction of steering, a position at which thesecond indicator is displayed according to the steering operation; andperform control such that the display unit displays the second indicatorat the position which is shifted opposite the direction of steering,wherein the second indicator is displayed at the position which isshifted opposite the direction of steering such that the secondindicator is maintained as being displayed at a fixed position withrespect to the center position of steering.
 10. The display apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to control thedisplay unit such that the second indicator designates a rotation of thesteering by at least one full rotation based on detecting that rotationof the steering by at least one full rotation achieves a change inposition of the first indicator to a position of the third indicator.11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the display unit such that the second indicatorindicates an over-steering operation based on the first indicatorpassing through a position of the third indicator.
 12. The displayapparatus of claim 11, further comprising a haptic output unitconfigured to output a haptic signal through a steering input unit,wherein the processor is further configured to perform control such thatthe haptic output unit outputs a haptic that resists against theover-steering operation based on the over-steering operation beingdetected.
 13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processoris further configured to perform control such that haptic output unitstops the output of the haptic when a steering operation exceeding apredetermined force is detected after outputting the haptic that resistsagainst the over-steering operation.
 14. The display apparatus of claim11, further comprising an audio output unit that is disposed at a leftside or a right side of a user, and that is configured to output analarm, wherein the processor is further configured to control the audiooutput unit to output a directional alarm indicating the over-steeringoperation based on the over-steering operation being detected.
 15. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises: afirst display unit configured to display an indicator on a windshield ofa vehicle; a second display unit configured to display the indicator,the second display unit being a display of a navigation device of thevehicle or a cluster disposed on a front of the vehicle; and a thirddisplay unit disposed on a steering input unit and configured to displaythe indicator.
 16. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the firstdisplay unit is further configured to: display a virtual steering imageon the windshield; and display the first indicator, the secondindicator, and the third indicator on the virtual steering image. 17.The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first display unit isconfigured to further display at least one of a first graphic imagerepresenting a recommended movement route or a second graphic imagerepresenting a movement route based on the current steering state. 18.The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein the third display unit isfurther configured to: display the first indicator, the secondindicator, and the third indicator directly on the steering input unit;and shift a display position of each of the first indicator, the secondindicator, and the third indicator based on the steering input unitbeing rotated.
 19. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: based on detecting an obstacle aheadfrom the vehicle periphery information, calculate an avoidance movementroute including a turning operation to avoid the obstacle; and controlthe display unit to display the first indicator, the second indicator,and the third indicator according to the calculated avoidance movementroute.
 20. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: based on detecting a curve in a road, calculatethe first indicator, the second indicator, and the third indicator basedon a direction of the detected curve in the road; and control thedisplay unit to display the calculated first indicator, the secondindicator, and the third indicator.
 21. The display apparatus of claim1, wherein the processor is further configured to: based on anautonomous steering operation being performed, maintain a steering inputunit at a fixed rotation angle; and control the display unit to displayat least one of the first indicator, the second indicator, or the thirdindicator on the steering input unit without rotation of the steeringinput unit.
 22. A vehicle comprising the display apparatus of claim 1.